Track-sanding device for street-cars



m0 Model.)

' G. W. SHERBURNE.

TRACK SANDING DEVICE FOR $TREET CARS.

No. 494,288 Patented Mar. 28, 1893 I/A k\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\A/ITNESEEE Tm: uonms virus 00. norcxuwou wnsmnm'ou, D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

CHARLES W. SHERBURNE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRACK-SANDING DEVICE FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,283, dated March28, 1893.

Application filed November 14,1892. Serial No. 451,897. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. SHER- BURNE, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Track-Sanding Apparatus for Street-Railway Cars, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, sufficient to enable others skilled inthe art to make and use my invention.

In the drawing A represents the body of the car.

B represents the truck beneath the body of the car. 0 represents one-ofthe wheels of said truck.

D represents the platform of a street railway car, A.

In the working of street railway cars, particularly since theapplication of power to the same, the business of sanding the trackinorder that the cars maybe readily stopped has been of muchgreaterimportance than it ever was before. One may frequently see now onthe electric cars a motor man who has abandoned the use of his brake andhis switch handle and holds in one hand a dish containing sand which hethrows to the right and left with the other hand upon the tracks inorder that thenecessary adhesion shall take place. It is to combine thesanding of the track with the braking system and also with the powersystem if necessary that this invention is directed.

E is the brake handle, and F the brake rod. Upon this brake rod is putan inclined wheel G, which takes hold of the lower handle H of a bellowsJ. Any other form of cam or motive power actuated by the brake handle Emay be substituted for the inclined wheel without departing from theprinciple of this invention.

The bellows J is an ordinary blacksmiths bellows. It may be made ofcourse in the form herein shown, which is the ancient form of blacksmithand hearth bellows, or it may be in the cylindrical form of bellowsfamiliar to all who have studied the blowing of fires. This form ofbellows may be actuated as well by the lower handle H, as by the upperhandle K, which is depressed by the treadle M coming through theplatform and returned to its place by the spring L shown. This spring Lkeeps the two handles of the bellows apart,

except when the upper handle K is depressed v by the treadle M, or thelower handle H is lifted by the cam G. Whether the bellows is depressedby stepping on the treadle M or the lower handle is lifted by the cam Gand the revolution of the brake handleE there will be apuft of air fromthebellows J through the pipe 0 delivered by the nozzle P into theinterior of the sand box. The sand box is under the seat of the car A,and of course there are two sand boxes, one on each side.

There may be two sets of bellows J with their attachments or there maybe only one set of bellows, and the pipe 0 with its nozzle P may beduplicated or branched from the bellows J. The sand box is lettered Q. Avalve and a valve stem It is provided in this sand box Q to cover thehole leading to the pipe S.

S, is the sand pipe which leads from the sand box in front of the wheels0 of the motor.

I have already said there can be one of these machines on the right sideand one of them on the left side of the car; and I now say that therecan be one of these machines in front of the wheels 0 delivering itssand at that place, or two of them, one in front and one behind thewheels to be used as the discretion of the engineer shall require. Thevalve stem R with its attached valve is capable of rotation upon itsaxis, and the valve attached to the stem R will'cover or uncover theorifice of the pipe S into the sand box Q. This valve is lettered T. Itis attached to the valve stem R, and is rotatable with it. It is made intwo tiers separated by a slot, which slot is marked V. The sand in thesand box Q cannot readily escape from the sand box except the blast pipeP is worked and throws a blast into the slot of the valve slot V of thevalve T, in which case the blast of air goes through the sand from thesand box Q, through the slotVinto the pipe S and so in front of thewheels 0.

The form of the valve in this apparatus has been already patented inLetters Patent No. 487,486 of December 6, 1892, but the blowingapparatus connected with the said valve has not hitherto been brought tothe attention of the Patent Ofiice, so far as I know.

In case the car A is required to be stopped as suddenly as possible, thebrakes must be thrown on, and it would be well if the tracks were sandedat this time. In case brakes are not applied the treadle will furnish ameans for actuating the bellows.

Itis important that a railroad train, particularly one run byelectricity shall be stopped as speedily as possible, and the sanding ofthe track in front of the wheels gives us that op-' portunity, whatevermay be the motive power.

The motive power of this apparatus consists either of the handle E withthe rod F working a cam wheel G, or it consistsof the treadle M workedfrom the foot board of the platform, and the whole apparatus is anewattachment to a street rail-wa-ycar.

A reservoir of compressed air mightbe carried instead of the bellowsattachment for blowing sand, but this would be a different'combinationofsand box with air blast.

The intermittent character of the bellows actuated blast requires a backseating check] valve in the nozzle to prevent clogging the bellows.

In using a storage reservoir the air-cock: would be opened from thebrake handle.

The -:valve T may be'turnedby means of the i cross-piece in the stem R,or, if desired, by

meansof theusual cog gearingbeneath the. sand box as illustrated in saidLetters Patent No. 487,486, which cog gearing is not illustrated here,because it has longbeen familiar in the art. The valve T need not beturned away from its position over the sand pipe S except when it isdesired to dump the sand from the sand box.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In combination with the sandbox Q, and a-chambered valve T, introduced into the said sand box, and adelivery pipe S, also introduced into said sand pipe and governed by thearrangement necessary forsaid sand box, the air nozzle P adapted todeliver a blast of air into the cavity of the valve T, substantially asand for the purposes described.

2. The combination between the valve T,

- the air nozzle P, the sandbox Q and inde pendentsources of air supplyJ, substantially as and for the purposes described.

The combination of the handle E, the

, stem R, and the wheel G in combination with the lower handle A of thebellows J, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combinationof the stem.R, the valve T, chambered at V, the sandbox'Q, the pipe O, the nozzle P, and the bellows J adapted .to

deliver automatically sand through the ,pipe

S in front of the wheel, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

CHARLES WV. SHERBURNE. In presence of- F. .F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DOLAN.

